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Protesters Chant "Shut up Fox News", then Fox News beats the Big Three
by Marinka Peschmann, Special to Canada Free Press
September 3, 2004
Outside the Fox News Channel's New York City headquarters on Tuesday hundreds of protesters began congregating for the 4:00 pm scheduled ‘Shut-Up-A-Thon.’ Organized by ‘Code Pink’ an anti-war group whose ringleader, Medea Benjamin, author of the book, Cuba: Talking About a Revolution, the ‘Code Pink’ ladies wear pink so they ‘won't be ignored.’ ‘Pink's’ mission that afternoon was to silence the fastest growing cable news network, the Fox News Channel. FNC made history on Tuesday evening upsetting ABC, CBS and NBC during their RNC Convention coverage and consistently draws more viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined. But Canadians still can't watch Fox.
At 3:30 pm an increased police presence was felt. Officers appeared on bikes, on foot, and in vans. Armed officers spread out in a half-circle and outlined the demonstration. Half a dozen cops took their positions atop the stairs leading up to FNC’s offices with cameras rolling aimed at the gathering crowd.
Across the street the ubiquitous marching band, the ‘Inferno Noise Brigade,’ dressed in gray and orange military attire with day-glow strips so their members are visible at night broke into music with drums, saxophones, and cymbals. Several cops in riot gear advance by them.
Kristinn Taylor with FreeRepublic.com holds a pro-FNC sign; ‘Code Pink is trying to intimidate consensus at the convention just like Kerry is trying to silence the Swift Boat Vets.’ Taylor insists, ‘We're here to stand up for free speech and expose the red roots of Code Pink.’
At 4:05 pm the crowd breaks into a chant, ‘Shut up Fox… Shut-Up Fox,’ hisses through the cluster growing louder with each delivery. A huge sign showcasing FNC’s prime-time hosts, Bill O’Reilly, Greta Van Susteren, Brit Hume, Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes with magic-markered Hitler mustaches drawn on their faces bobbles high above the throng, jostling along side ‘Faux News’ signs, anti-Bush signs and a myriad of messages and complaints.
Three male cheerleaders with pom poms, clad in red white and blue outfits wearing masks of Hannity, O'Reilly and Hume faces tied around their heads frolic back and forth across the street. A bus advertising the anti-Fox documentary, ‘Outfoxed,’ circles the demonstration.
The first person arrested is a woman with orange and white hair in a bra and kaki shorts. Wrapped in an American flag with tape over her mouth, she ties herself to a pole. Tears stream down her face, when she alleges the plastic handcuffs are too tight then she's whisked away. Anti-Fox, anti-Bush protester, Alex Lencicki, comes to her defense, ‘The problem occurred when the photographers swarmed the single woman who was performing a civil act of disobedience. Because the media blocked the streets — the cops came out in riot gear.’ A person dressed up in a giant carrot costume claiming to be ‘running for President’ mills amid the edgy rally waving and handing out brochures.
Tensions intensified when the police hauled out the metal barricades, a technique to ‘box in’ the protesters and lead them down to 8th Avenue where a massive paddy wagon of sorts has been formed during other protests. It's a familiar sight to the demonstrators, and quick instructions are conveyed, ‘Try not to get arrested…’ ripples through the crowd, ‘We need bodies out for Thursday.’ Since the RNC came to New York hundreds of arrests have landed protesters in jail for days. Some jittery protesters disperse the ‘Shut-Up-A-Thon,’ to reconvene elsewhere whispering, ‘We've got a bad feeling….’
Meanwhile back in Canada, the Fox News Channel's license request to air in Canada is pending. According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the ‘Commission further extends the deadline for the Canadian Cable Television Association's written replies to no later than 7 September 2004.’ Time will tell if Canadians will be allowed to judge for themselves and watch the highly successful Fox News Channel.
Marinka Peschmann is a freelance writer whose first book collaboration, the best-selling The Kid Stays In The Picture; was made into a documentary. She's contributed to several books and stories ranging from showbiz and celebrities to true crime and politics.
